Carb Protein Fat

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drahow
drahow Posts: 10 Member
I'm sure it will have been asked but I can't get my head around Callander macros I currently eat 1800 cals a day at 220 lbs having lost 55lbs since Jan I train heavy weights 4 times a week and I don't think I eat enough can anyone advise best ratio for carbs fat protein I'm currently 30 25 45 I

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  • drahow
    drahow Posts: 10 Member
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    Cals and mCros that was meant to be
  • goal06082021
    goal06082021 Posts: 2,130 Member
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    What are your goals?
  • drahow
    drahow Posts: 10 Member
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    My first goal was to get to 230lbs now its 200lbs its slowed since returning to the gym but I've definitely increased muscle mass but there are so many different ideas out there
  • goal06082021
    goal06082021 Posts: 2,130 Member
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    OK. Are you still trying to primarily lose fat, or have you shifted focus more to building muscle? You may want to look up resources on "body recomposition" - basically if you're trying to lose fat and build muscle at the same time, it's a very precise dance you must do with regard to your training and eating, since those two things are kind of the opposite of one another.
  • drahow
    drahow Posts: 10 Member
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    Losing fat definitely I'm 51 and after several years of not looking after myself neen to get that down I've done a TREE calc which says 2400 a day to lose weight but also to adjust for exercise
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,049 Member
    edited August 2021
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    Fat loss is about calorie balance, eating fewer calories than you burn in total via daily life, exercise, plus just being alive.

    If your weight is not a health risk in itself (sound like not, but I'm guessing because I have no idea how tall you are), then slower fat loss is likely to be more compatible with a goal of increasing strength/muscle. (Those two goals are somewhat at odds with one another, because you're trying to lose one kind of weight (fat) while gaining another (muscle) - a tricky proposition. Someone new to serious strength training, with a small calorie deficit, plus relatively young and male-er (as compared to me!), is more likely to have slightly better odds of pulling it off).

    The best way to gauge whether you're eating enough (calories) is to consider your actual weight loss rate, on average, over many weeks - at least 4-6. With your goals, I wouldn't go more than a pound a week loss, unless you're pretty short such that 200 pounds give you a lot left to lose. Even half a pound would be OK, if you're not in a rush and can be patient to see results on the scale.

    The MFP method is to set your MFP profile activity level based on daily life before exercise, then log exercise and eat those calories, too. The MFP exercise database is actually quite a good source for estimating strength training calories, though it can be iffy (on the high side) for some other things.

    Protein adequacy is important for strength/muscle mass gain. A rough rule of thumb is a minimum of 0.6-0.8g per pound of healthy goal weight, which is in the ballpark of 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass (except most people don't have a good estimate of their lean body mass). Some people will argue for more, around 1g per pound of goal weight.

    General good nutrition, even beyond protein, is also useful for strength gain. For most people, the MFP default percents aren't terrible - usually not even protein.

    If you want to go the whole 9 yards with more precision, maybe 0.35-0.45g of fat per pound (getting some good monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in there from things like nuts, nut butter, avocados, olive oil, etc., not just entirely saturated fats). On top of that, you need micros and fiber, so 5+ daily servings of varied, colorful fruits/veggies minimum would be good, with more probably better.

    Setting macro goals by percent is rather approximate, i.e. can be better or worse depending on your calorie goal. If you figure out gram goals, you can set your MFP goal percents so they come close to those grams, and close is fine. Just try to average out around your target values over time. It's fine to be over on fats or protein or both, within calorie goal. (Personally, I have protein and fat minimums, use carbs to balance in my settings.) If you have premium MFP, you can set gram goals directly, and also have control over how it handles macros for exercise calories; but using free MFP, setting percents based on gram goals, should be fine.

    Best wishes!
  • drahow
    drahow Posts: 10 Member
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    That's brilliant and your response is very much appreciated
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,049 Member
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    P.S. To log strength training in MFP and get calories for it, you log it in the Cardiovascular section, using the "Strength training (weight lifting, weight training)" entry if doing normal reps/sets work. You log the whole number of minutes you were working out, including normal between-set short rests. (If you take a bigger break for some reason, to chat with somebody or something, it'd be better to subtract those minutes out, of course.)
  • drahow
    drahow Posts: 10 Member
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    Thank you I didn't think anyone would respond it's made me like the app even more